U.S. patent number 5,429,833 [Application Number 08/086,716] was granted by the patent office on 1995-07-04 for recloseable modified atmosphere clamshell package.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Redex Packaging Corporation. Invention is credited to Ihor Wyslotsky.
United States Patent |
5,429,833 |
Wyslotsky |
July 4, 1995 |
Recloseable modified atmosphere clamshell package
Abstract
The recloseable clamshell package of the invention includes a
container portion and a lid portion. The lid portion has a lip
portion which is congruently shaped with the container lip portion
for mating engagement therewith in order to form a closed package.
The lid portion includes corner portions which are congruently
shaped with the container portions for mating engagement
therewith.
Inventors: |
Wyslotsky; Ihor (Rolling
Meadows, IL) |
Assignee: |
Redex Packaging Corporation
(Schaumburg, IL)
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Family
ID: |
46248006 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/086,716 |
Filed: |
July 2, 1993 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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87602 |
Jul 2, 1993 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/122;
206/213.1; 220/276; 426/106; 426/128 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
1/44 (20130101); B65D 43/021 (20130101); B65D
43/0212 (20130101); B65D 79/005 (20130101); B65D
2543/00194 (20130101); B65D 2543/00296 (20130101); B65D
2543/00351 (20130101); B65D 2543/00398 (20130101); B65D
2543/00425 (20130101); B65D 2543/00509 (20130101); B65D
2543/00527 (20130101); B65D 2543/00537 (20130101); B65D
2543/00546 (20130101); B65D 2543/0062 (20130101); B65D
2543/00685 (20130101); B65D 2543/00731 (20130101); B65D
2543/00796 (20130101); H04M 1/725 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
43/02 (20060101); B65D 79/00 (20060101); B65D
1/40 (20060101); B65D 1/44 (20060101); G06F
1/00 (20060101); H04M 1/725 (20060101); H04M
1/72 (20060101); A21D 010/02 (); B65D 081/24 ();
B65D 017/40 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/352,354,356,306,307,359,266,276 ;206/213.1
;426/122,316,128,106 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gehman; Bryon P.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hill, Steadman & Simpson
Parent Case Text
The present invention is a continuation-in-part of the application
entitled: "Method Of Extending Shelf Life Or A Comestible Product
while Providing A Locally Packaged Appearance", Ser. No.
08/087,602, filed on Jul. 2, 1993, still pending, the, disclosure
of which is incorporated by reference herein, herewith, and related
generally to packaging primarily for comestible products, and more
particularly to a recloseable clamshell package having novel corner
locking features engageable between the container portion and the
lid portion thereof and suitable for providing a recloseable
package, which package may be a modified atmosphere package having
strippable opening means.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A recloseable hermetically sealed, modified atmosphere package
comprising:
a substantially rigid container portion including bottom with
container sidewalls connected thereto and projecting upwardly
therefrom; and
a separately formed substantially rigid lid portion;
said container sidewalls connected together at their respective
lateral edges to form container corners;
said connected sidewalls together forming a container lip portion
disposed at the upper extremity of the connected sidewalls
unitarily extending along the top portion of each sidewall and each
container corner;
said lid portion including a centrally dome portion bordered by a
lid lip portion and upwardly extending therefrom, and said lid lip
portion substantially congruently shaped with at least a portion of
said container lip portion for mating engagement therewith to form
a hermetically sealed, modified atmosphere package;
substantially congruently-shaped lid locking and matingly
engageable respective container and lid distentions, disposed on
each said container lip portion and said lid lip portion; and
container and lid flanges extending circumferentially around
substantially the entirety of said container lip and said lid lip
for overlapping disposition with each other;
said container flange and said lid flange being sealed
together;
said lid flange having peel opening means including a line of
reduced strength disposed upon said lid flange for directing a peel
force therealong for removal of at least a substantial portion of
said lid flange for opening said package;
said container portion and said lid portion joined by a hermetic
seal to enclose an hermetically sealed volume therewithin; and
a food product and a substantially inert gas contained within said
hermetically sealed volume to form a modified atmosphere package
for containing said food product, said inert gas surrounding said
food product until said peel opening means is used to open said
package.
2. The package of claim 1 wherein said container distention is
selected from the group consisting of male and female
distentions.
3. The package of claim 2 wherein said lip distention is selected
from the group consisting of female and male distentions to
matingly engage with said container distention.
4. The package of claim 1 wherein said container flange and said
lid flange include respective seal indentations which are bonded
together, and which form a line of reduced strength thereon for
directing a peel force therealong.
5. The package of claim 1 wherein said substantially
congruently-shaped lid locking and matingly engageable respective
container and lid distentions are disposed respectively at each of
said container corner portions and at each of said lid corner
portions.
6. The package of claim 1 wherein said package lid and container
are made of a barrier material against movement of gases to or from
said package.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the prior art, consumers have found that recloseable packages
are desirable, particularly for comestible products, and in some
embodiments especially in regard to bakery products, such as
muffins, croissants and other freshly baked bakery goods, such as
may be typically provided in a large grocery supermarket which has
a bakery on the premise. Packaging provided for such bakery goods
has often been in the form of clear plastic clamshell packaging.
Such clear plastic clamshell packaging, and especially for such
bakery goods, provides a baked-on-the-premises image which grocery
retailers have found to be especially appealing to consumers.
It has also been deemed desirable in regard to such clear plastic
clamshell packaging to develop recloseability features which are
reliable and easy to operate, and especially in circumstances where
more than one serving of a comestible product is contained
therewithin, in order to reduce drying out or other deterioration
of the comestible food product contained therewithin.
Accordingly, and in view of certain deficiencies of the prior art
teachings, it is a material object of the improved recloseable
clamshell package of the present invention to provide easy to
operate means for reclosing a clamshell-type package.
It is a yet further object of the improved clamshell package of the
present invention to provide a recloseability mechanism having
mutually engageable corner disposed detent or distention mechanisms
for positive manual engagement upon opening and reclosing of the
package, and also used for automatic insertion of the lid onto the
base by means of machine application.
It is a yet further object of the recloseable clamshell package of
the present invention to provide such recloseability features in
conjunction with a clamshell package which has easy operable and
strippable opening means for opening such a package, which may be a
modified atmosphere package.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a modified atmosphere
clamshell package, having lockable halves, and further
incorporating in preferred embodiments an easy to open strip. Such
modified atmosphere clamshell package includes a hermetic enclosure
mechanism, and further includes bottom disposed bellows-like
structures to maintain equal inner and outer pressures to utilize
partial pressure differential means for reducing stresses on the
package seal.
The recloseable clamshell package of the invention includes a
container portion and a lid portion. The lid portion has a lip
portion which is congruently shaped with the container lip portion
for mating engagement therewith in order to form a closed package.
The lid portion includes corner portions which are congruently
shaped with at least a portion of the container portions for mating
engagement therewith.
The present invention is more particularly directed to congruently
shaped lid locking and matingly engageable container and lid
distentions disposed on each of the container lip and container lid
lip elements and respective at each of the container portions and
lid corner portions. The congruently shaped container and lid
distentions have slightly different dimensions to exert an
engagement force therebetween when engaged. Such congruently shaped
and lid locking and matingly engageable container and lid
distentions are in one preferred embodiment substantially arcuate
in shape (as determined in the plain of cross-section which is
parallel with the plane with the respective lip portion).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the accompanying drawing, wherein common numerals are utilized
with common elements, the presently inventive recloseable clamshell
package of the present invention is depicted, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view from a slightly bottom perspective of
a recloseable clamshell package, which may be a modified atmosphere
package, having a package container portion and a package lid
portion, each of which includes in the embodiment of FIG. 1 a
sealing flange thereon for overlapping and sealing disposition
therebetween, and illustrating at the upper corner of the container
portion the substantially arcuate shaped distention for locking
with a congruently shaped distention of the lid portion of the
container;
FIG. 2 is a slightly enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line
2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the sidewalls of the container including
a reinforced portion of the sidewall of the lid portion of the
package and the package bottom and depicting a package bottom panel
in retracted disposition, which is an additional feature of the
package of the present invention as set forth in an accompanying
patent application;
FIG. 3 is a slightly enlarged side view corresponding to that in
FIG. 2 and showing the retractable bottom panel feature in
nonretracted configuration, which is a feature of the recloseable
clamshell package as set forth and claimed in a separate patent
application; and
FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines
4--4 of FIG. 1 and showing a transverse cross-sectional view of the
corner of the recloseable clamshell package including showing the
engagement between the container portion and the lid portion at
such corner to illustrate the respective congruently shaped lid
locking and matingly engageable container and lid distentions.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an alternative embodiment
similar to that of FIG. 4, and in particular showing a transverse
cross-sectional view of the corner of such alternative embodiment
of a recloseable clamshell package, wherein the congruently shaped
lid locking and matingly engageable container and lid distentions
have the lid distention fittingly disposed over the container
distention; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container flange and the
lid flange wherein an indentation is disposed therein for ease of
peel comprising a line of reduced strength, which may be formed,
such as for example by a heat sealing bar to assist in stripping
and removing a portion of the lid flange.
The improved recloseable clamshell package of the present invention
may be better understood with regard to the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawing, and wherein a recloseable clamshell
package generally 10 is set forth, the various elements thereof are
depicted.
In particular, the recloseable clamshell package of the present
invention includes a container portion 12. The container portion 12
includes a bottom element 14 and connected sidewalls 16,18,20,22
which are connected to bottom 14 and project upwardly therefrom.
The sidewalls 16,18,20,22 are connected together at their
respective lateral edges to form container corners 24,26,28,30.
Together, the sidewalls 16,18,20,22 form a container lip portion 32
which is disposed at the upper extremities of the connected
sidewalls 16,18,20,22 and unitarily extends along the top portion
of each such sidewalls 16,18,20,22 and each container corner
24,26,28,30.
The clamshell package 10 of the present invention further includes
a lid portion 34 which has a lid lip portion 36 substantially
congruently shaped with at least a portion of the container lip
portion 32 for mating engagement therewith. Together the lid lip
portion 36 and container lip portion 32 form a closable and
recloseable package. The lid portion 34 includes lid corner
portions 38,40,42,44 which are congruently shaped with the
container corners 24,26,28,30 for mating engagement therewith.
The recloseable clamshell package 10 of the present invention
particularly includes respective congruently shaped lid locking and
matingly engageable container and lid distentions respectively
46,48 which are disposed respectively on the container lip 32 and
the lid lip 36 respectively at each of the container corner
portions 24,26,28,30 and the lid corner portions 38,40,42,44. The
congruently shaped container and lid distentions 46,48 have
slightly different dimensions to assert an engagement force
therebetween when engaged. The congruently shaped lid locking and
matingly engageable container lid lip distentions 46,48 are
substantially arcuate shaped in a preferred embodiment, as set
forth in FIG. 4 hereof, as shown in the plane of cross-section
which is parallel with the plane of the respective lip portion
32,36.
The container distention 46 may be either a female distention, as
shown in FIG. 4 or a male distention 50 as shown in FIG. 5. The lip
distention may be either the male lip distention 48 as shown in
FIG. 4 or a female distention 52 as shown in FIG. 5.
In preferred embodiments at least one of the container and lip
distentions 46,48 or 50,52 includes a positive force threshold
deformable means for a stretchingly but recoverably deforming
thereof during mating engagement to permit engagement of the
container and lip distentions 46,48 or 50,52. As shown in FIG. 4,
lid lip distention 48 includes a rim 49 which has a dimension
extending outwardly from lid portion 34 which is greater than the
corresponding portion of container distension 46 to snap the cover
in place, and thereby to form a positive, recloseable engagement.
An alternative embodiment is set forth in FIG. 5, wherein the lid
lip distention and container lip distentions are essentially
reversed, with the lid lip distention disposed exterior to the
container lip distention. The improved recloseable clamshell
container portion 12 of the present invention may preferably
include a laterally extending container flange 54. Such laterally
extending container flange 54 extends preferably laterally of
container lip 32. In such preferred embodiments, the container
flange 54 extends circumferentially of substantially the entirety
of the container lip portion 32 as shown in FIG. 1.
The lid portion 34 may further preferably include a lid flange 56
which extends laterally from the lid lip portion 36 thereof for
overlapping disposition with the container flange 54. The container
flange 54 and the lid flange 56 are sealed together in preferred
embodiments. A peel opening means 58 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a
line of reduced strength 60 as shown in FIG. 6 wherein indentation
may be made, such as by heat sealing bar upon container flange 54
and lid flange 56, such that a peal force may be directed along an
opening strip for removal of at least a substantial portion of
either the container flange 54, or in more preferred embodiments,
the lid flange 56.
The basic and novel characteristics of the improved methods and
apparatus of the present invention will be readily understood from
the foregoing disclosure by those skilled in the art. It will
become readily apparent that various changes and modifications may
be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the improved
apparatus of the present invention, and in the steps of the
inventive methods hereof, which various respective inventions are
as set forth hereinabove without departing from the spirit and
scope of such inventions. Accordingly, the preferred and
alternative embodiments of the present invention set forth
hereinabove are not intended to limit such spirit and scope in any
way.
* * * * *